Summer Pasta!

It's definitely summer in South Texas!  Temperatures are in the high 90's (at least), the days are long, and the tomatoes are ripe and red!  
I've mentioned before that one of my hobbies is collecting and reading old cookbooks.  Sometimes there are the most intriguing recipes that I'd never heard of before.  This recipe is definitely one of them.  It's from a book titled, "Cook Until Done" and is written by a man that had learned to cook during his travels throughout the world.  Every chapter begins with a girl, so I think he might have been some kind of "international playboy" back when they said that sort of thing :)  The names of all his dishes don't ignite much inspiration.  For example, this refreshing, interesting, delicious pasta dish was simply titled, "Cold Sauce".  While it is a "cold sauce", that title no more describes this wonderful summer dish than "puffed eggs" describes a souffle!  The sauce is a combination of vine-ripened tomatoes, other veggies, fresh herbs, and olive oil.  It is refrigerated until very cold, then served on the hottest (as in temperature) whole-wheat pasta you can manage.  The combination of hot and cold with the savory sauce and nutty pasta-- well, it IS inspirational, despite the mundane title!  
This dish has all the summer essentials:  simple, bright, seasonal, healthy, and SO GOOD!!
Note:  This recipe uses a food processor.  If you don't have one, just mince everything up.
Cold Sauce (serves 4)
12 oz. whole wheat spaghetti (use 16 oz. if you have big eaters)
2 medium, vine ripened tomatoes, *peeled cut into large pieces
3 medium sized stalks celery, cut up into small chunks
1 Tbl. capers
1/2 large green pepper, or 1 small one, seeded, and cut into chunks (can also use an Anaheim chile if you like spicy!)
2 Tbl. fresh oregano leaves
2 Tbl. fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

* To peel tomatoes, submerge into boiling water for about 30 seconds.  Run under cold water briefly to cool.  The skin will peel off easily.
Add the tomatoes, celery, capers, green pepper, oregano, and basil to the food processor.  Pulse until everything is minced, but don't let it get smooth or pureed.  Pour into a bowl.  Sprinkle with the vinegar.  Add the salt and pepper.  Stir everything gently, then pour the olive oil over.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours-- longer is great!
Cook the spaghetti according to package directions and put your pasta bowls in the oven to warm them.  When the pasta is done to your liking, drain it and divide among the warm bowls.  Stir the sauce well, then spoon over the hot pasta.  Serve immediately.  Mmmmmm!!!
ASB

Dad's Day!

What did you do for Father's Day?  If you are like most of us, you celebrated Dad with a cookout-- with Dad doing the cooking!  Isn't that funny about Dad's Day?  On Mother's Day, a concerted effort is made (usually) to give Mom a break from cooking, but on Father's Day, well, we just assume Dad will be grilling his own steak and wouldn't want it any other way!
This is probably a true assumption for most Dads and the other's are probably just being good sports, but nevertheless, Father's Day demands an outdoor meal!
This year was no different at our house.  Ben was at the grill and in fact, did most every part of the meal on the grill because MY STOVE AND OVEN are broken!!! :(  I made the dessert ahead, but by Sunday, that appliance had completely died.  I had planned to try to make a healthier menu this year: bison burgers (one of Ben's favorites and discussed on a previous post), a light dessert-- blackberry parfait, and grilled corn.  BUT, I was also planning to make fried green tomatoes, another one of Ben's favorite summer treats.  With no stove, we had to improvise, but guess what?  Grilled green tomatoes are delicious, and I think they actually are better than the fried ones!  Heresy!  But really, they are a LOT easier, healthier, AND tastier!  Why not give them a try?

Grilled corn is easy enough, but if you haven't done it, there are a lot of recipes online that are very complicated and hard to "get right".  I cook the fresh corn in the microwave until it's almost done, then just finish it off on the grill to get the good, roasted flavor and yummy looking grill marks without any of the hassles.

Of course, you can doctor the corn up all you want with butter, roll it in shredded cheese, sprinkle with hot pepper, etc., but since we were going for a lighter meal, I skipped all that this time!  This was super fresh, local corn anyway.  It didn't really need "help" to taste fantastic!

The dessert, pictured above, was a combination of fresh blackberries from the Farmer's Market, a very few crushed vanilla wafers and pecans, and a super simple, old fashioned "pudding" that is made without eggs.  It is fairly low in sugar, too, so completely fit the bill for my Healthy Dad's Day Dinner without tasting like "no fun" :)  These types of puddings are called "blancmange" in the old cookbooks and are thickened with cornstarch.

All in all, the menu was super tasty and Ben really liked it even though he pretty much cooked it himself! :)  Super Dad!

Lighter Blackberry Parfait (serves four generously)

3 cups 2% milk (or even skim will work)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1.5 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pint blackberries, reserve 4 for garnish

8 vanilla wafers, crushed coarsely

2 Tbl. pecans, chopped finely

In a heavy saucepan, mix the sugar, salt, and cornstarch.  Add the milk and blend well with a whisk.  Over medium high heat, cook and stir the mixture until it thickens.  Allow it to simmer gently, stirring, for about 3 minutes.  Off the heat, stir in the vanilla.  Let the pudding cool and refrigerate until cold.

Combine the pecans and the crushed wafers. In 4 small parfait glasses or regular drink glasses, put a bit of the wafer mixture in the bottom of each glass.  Add some blackberries, then spoon a generous amount of pudding into the glass.  Add more blackberries, then more pudding.  Sprinkle the top with the remaining wafers.  Add a berry and a mint leaf, if you have it, to garnish the top.  Refrigerate.  These will keep in the fridge all day, but might get mushy if made the night before.  

You might not use up all the pudding, but that's okay!  It's great over cake, fruit, just about anything!

Grilled Green Tomatoes

Green tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick (not thicker-- they have to cook somewhat on the grill, so it's easier if they are on the thin side)

olive oil

salt, pepper

Drizzle the tomato slices with olive oil and turn them so they are coated on both sides.  Put on the grill and cook, turning once.  They're done when they get a bit softer and have the pretty grill markings.  Put on a platter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  That's it, and they are delicious!

Easiest Grilled Corn

Fresh corn, shucked

olive oil

salt, pepper

Place the corn in a microwave safe dish that is big enough to hold them in one layer.  Add a splash of water and cover with waxed paper.  Microwave on high, turning them over once during cooking, until they are cooked through.  It takes about 10 minutes to do a 13x9 glass dish full of corn with my microwave, but you have to just see how yours works.  

Drizzle the corn with olive oil, place on the grill and cook until they get their yummy roasted look.  It doesn't take long at all.  Place on a platter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

These are hardly "recipes", but I hope you try them because they make the most of these wonderful summer treats!

And Happy Father's Day all you wonderful Dads!

Anniversary Dinner!

Tuesday was our anniversary!  What a blessing to be married a LONG time :) and to still enjoy each other's company across the dinner table!  As with most holidays around here, I wanted to cook at home, but in the morning, Ben took me to a very nice restaurant that serves the best, most elegant breakfasts!  That was a treat!  

For dinner, I wanted to make something seasonal, but Ben had purchased a nice bottle of wine that was going to probably go very well with duck.  Duck is usually a fall / winter meal, but I found this recipe from a BBC website that was made for summer!  The crispy-skinned duck breasts are paired with the most delicious medley of new potatoes, peas, and baby lima beans.  Of course, it's best if all these things can be obtained fresh, but the fresh peas have come and gone in south Texas and it's the same with baby limas ("summer" here isn't the same as summer in England!).  I substituted a good brand of frozen veggies and the result was wonderful!  A little bacon and a teaspoon or two of duck fat really work their magic :) !  If you've never had duck, please give it a try!  It's so easy to make and the flavor of domestically raised birds is mild and tasty!

I also made a super old-school shrimp cocktail as our appetizer.  I wanted to use these dishes I got at an estate sale.  They have one purpose only-- to serve shrimp cocktail, but they were so '60's cool!  A shaved fennel and mixed greens salad and Key lime pie for dessert rounded out the menu deliciously!  

By the way, the pie was the winner of the 2013 National Pie Baking Contest and is officially called "Sittin' On a Sandbar Key Lime Pie".  It was really good and a fun twist on the traditional pie.  The crust is made with crushed vanilla wafers and that was a definite inspiration!  If you want to make it, here's the link.

http://www.piecouncil.org/2013Amateur?entry=2306

Kind of a fuzzy pic, but it was tasty!

Duck with Peas and Baby Lima Beans (adapted from BBC Good Food)

2 duck breasts, skin on

coarse cracked black pepper

Kosher or sea salt

1/2 lb. red new potatoes, scrubbed and halved

1 cup peas 

1 cup baby lima beans

1-2 slices bacon, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1.5 Tbl. red wine vinegar

1 Tbl. chopped parsley

Heat the oven to 425F.  

Boil the new potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes.  Add the baby limas and continue boiling 5 minutes or until the potatoes and beans are tender.  Drain and set aside.

With a very sharp knife, score the skin only of the duck breasts.  Try not to pierce the meat.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.  Heat a heavy skillet until hot and sear the duck skin side down for 5-6 minutes, until the skin is browned and crisp.  Turn them over and cook another 2 minutes, then place the breasts in a small baking pan. Pour out the duck fat into a small bowl and wipe out the skillet.  Put the duck into the oven and roast 8-10 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you like.  We like ours medium-well.  Remove the duck and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.

While the duck is resting, add 1 tsp. of the reserved duck fat to the skillet and cook the bacon in it until crisp.  Add the potatoes, peas, and lima beans to the skillet.  Stir and cook until everything is hot.  Add the vinegar and parsley.  Cook and stir as it bubbles up.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the duck breasts with the veggie mixture alongside.  Yum!

My mom and dad used to get shrimp cocktails like these at restaurants in the '60's!

Fennel and mixed greens salad was just the right refreshing touch with a simple lime and olive oil vinaigrette.

First Caprese Salad of the Summer

Remember my container garden tomatoes?  Here they are in the first caprese salad of the summer!  We never knew about this delicious combination of vine ripened tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and herbs when I was growing up.  I always think that was too bad because we had some wonderful tomatoes during those Colorado summers!  

Anyway, now days most everyone makes this delicious salad, so I just wanted you to see the garden update!  The basil is from our garden also, and the mozzarella is "house made" at our neighborhood grocery store, so we were feeling pretty good about "going local" :)

If you haven't made a caprese salad, here's a kind of recipe, but it's mostly just a guide!  

Caprese Salad  (serves two at our house!)

2 ripe, red tomatoes, sliced into a bit less than 1/4 inch slices

1/2 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly

1 very small clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Fresh basil leaves

Place the tomato slices and cheese slices on 2 salad plates.  I only use the center slices of tomato (the ends are good for the cook!) because they look nice that way.  Mix the garlic, oil, and red pepper flakes well.  Drizzle over the salads generously.  Let them sit out at room temperature while you're making the rest of dinner or at least 30 minutes.  Right before serving, sprinkle the salads with a nice amount of salt and just a tiny bit of black pepper.  Tear the basil leaves and sprinkle over the salads.  

Summer Rolls: Fun with Rice Paper !

Have you ever tried to make summer rolls?  They are a healthier, non-fried version of egg rolls in a way, but really, they're an altogether different thing!  The wrapper is super thin rice paper and the fillings are generally fresh veggies like carrots, green onions, cilantro, and some light protein like chicken or shrimp.  Usually they are served with a tasty dipping sauce too.

Anyway, I've always been curious about the rice paper, ie, whether it is super difficult to work with.  Well, let me tell you, it is actually super easy!  These days, most every grocery store carries them in the Asian foods section.  Light, fresh tasting and almost no calories, these are wonderful wrappers for just about any combinations!  

Most all the recipes I saw for summer rolls encouraged wrapping the rolls very tightly.  This is a good idea because it allows you to cut the rolls in half to serve them and they look prettier if everything stays in place.  However, I wanted the rolls to be easier to eat, so I cut everything up rather small and that made them not hold together as well after cutting (see photo!).  If you leave everything in long strips, the rolls will look beautiful and they will cut very nicely.  It's up to you!  Mostly, it doesn't matter because they taste so good everyone is too busy eating them to notice this type of thing!

Summer Rolls (makes about 8)

1 pkg. Vietnamese rice paper wrappers

3 green onions, sliced in long strips or chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely grated or julienned

1/4 English cucumber, seeds removed and sliced into thin strips

1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (or use sprigs)

2 small, cooked chicken breast halves, sliced into strips (I used leftover baked chicken from the night before.)

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 T. soy sauce

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. grated ginger

1 tsp. grated garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. Sriaccha sauce (I still can't spell it right!)

Get a pie plate and pour in hot water almost to the top.  Dip one rice paper into the water for 15 seconds, making sure it is submerged.  Remove and allow the water to drain off.  Put the wrapper on a dry glass plate.  Add a few pieces of onion, cucumber, cilantro and carrot in a horizontal pile a bit lower than the center line of the wrapper.  Add a few chicken strips.  Begin wrapping by drawing the lower part of the wrapper up over the filling.  Press down to compact the filling.  Fold the two ends in over the filling too, then continue wrapping up to the end.  Everything will stick fine and hold together.  Place the roll on a piece of waxed paper or parchment on a plate or sheet pan.  Repeat until all the filling is used up.

Whisk the lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, olive oil and Sriaccha sauce in a small bowl or shake in a jar.  

You can cut the rolls on the diagonal and serve them on a platter, or serve them whole.  Serve little individual bowls of the sauce or just let everyone spoon it on their rolls and they would like.

Light, refreshing, and cool-- summer's here!

Pizza II: Thin and Crispy!

Have you seen my daughter, Marie's, "Little Kitchie" blog lately?  She did a fun and interesting series on pizzas and they all looked so delicious!  I did a post on pizza awhile back to tell you about the wonderful pizza yeast produced by Fleischmanns, but after reading her blog and seeing all those tasty pies, I wanted to make pizza again!

One thing we all love in our family is the thin, crackly pizza crust with the blackened, charred bottom that you get in specialty pizza restaurants.  Mostly, you can only get that charred type of crust on the grill or at the restaurants, but you can still make a pretty tasty, thin and crispy crusted pizza at home!  It doesn't take anything special at all except maybe the pizza stone.  

Here's a recipe that I came up with that results in a super crispy crust that stays crispy even for the second, and third, and well, okay, fourth piece! :)  

Thin and Crispy Pizza

1 pkg. RapidRise yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 tsp. sugar

2 Tbl. olive oil to mix in the dough, then more later

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup (about) flour

Toppings:  I used: mozzarella cheese, kalamata olives, sliced, fresh Roma tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, fresh chopped oregano and chopped fresh basil, salt and pepper, but use anything you like!  

Note:  Toppings that aren't watery work best-- or partially cook them ahead to remove some of their liquid.  Don't go overboard on amounts either because that makes the crust soggy too.

Parchment paper

pizza stone

cookie sheet with no sides (turn over a sheet pan if you don't have one)

Mix the yeast and water in a stand mixer bowl.  Add the sugar.  Wait 15 minutes.  You should see lots of bubbles forming in the liquid.  If not, start over (water might have been too hot, or yeast is  too old--check the date on the package) or go out for pizza! :)

Add the salt and oil to the liquid and mix well.  Add the flour a bit at a time, mixing until you have a super stretchy, very moist dough.  It will be just a bit thicker than a batter, but much more sticky and stretchy.  Don't add too much flour.  The wet, stretchy dough is the key to a thin, crispy crust.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a tea towel.  Place in a warm area for 1 hour.

Put the pizza stone in the oven and turn the oven to 475F about 30 minutes before you will be cooking the pizza.

Cover the cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper.  Pour and scrape out the risen blob of pizza dough onto the paper.  It will be super sticky and hardly hold any shape, but not runny.  Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil on the top of the dough trying not to let it run onto the paper.  Use your clean fingertips to press the dough out onto the parchment.  The oil on top of the dough will allow you to stretch and smooth it out easily without it sticking to your fingers, but it will stick to the parchment and "behave".

Add your desired toppings.  If you're using fresh basil, it's best to add that at the end onto the cooked pizza-- tastes fresh and smells delightful!

Slide the parchment paper onto the pizza stone quickly and carefully.  I do this by placing the cookie sheet at the back of the pizza stone and quickly pulling it out from under the parchment, allowing it to fall onto the hot pizza stone.  If this makes you nervous, carefully remove the pizza stone and just pull the paper from the cookie sheet onto the stone and put it back into the oven.

Cook the pizza for 15 minutes or until brown and crisp.  Don't underbake!  Allow the pizza to "settle down" out of the oven for a few minutes, then slice and enjoy!  

Zucchini Fritters: Quick and Yummy Side!

Hello!  Well, I've been away for awhile with one thing or another!  This past weekend Ben and I were in Philadelphia and New Jersey to attend a wedding.  My good friend, Carol's, oldest son was married in a beautiful country setting.  I'd never been to that part of the US, so it was a fun and exciting trip, although short!

While we were in Philadelphia, we went to the open air Italian Market and that was really wonderful!  There were so many interesting groceries, produce, AND pastries-- it was crazy!  One thing I bought there was a "mix" for truffle risotto.  The rice isn't instant and takes the usual 20 minutes of stirring, so it wasn't a convenience type mix, but I guess really, I was a pushover for the instructions in Italian! :)  

Anyway, so I wanted to have something light and veggie on the side and I thought of zucchini fritters!  These little tasty bites are so easy and quick, but very good!  With the summer coming on and the anticipated overload of zucchini from the garden, I thought this recipe might be timely!  They aren't fancy at all, but I think you'll like them!

Zucchini Fritters (makes about 10)

2 medium zucchini, grated coarsely

1/2 red onion, grated coarsely

1 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/4 cup bread or cracker crumbs

a few grinds of pepper

olive oil 

Place the zucchini and onion in a colander and sprinkle with the salt.  Allow it to drain over a bowl for 15 minutes of so.  Squeeze or press out all the liquid and discard it.  

Put the drained veggies in a bowl and combine with the egg, crumbs, and pepper.

Heat a light film of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add small blobs of the veggie mixture to the skillet, making small fritters.

Cook a couple minutes, until they are nicely browned, then turn and cook the other side the same way.  Place the fritters on a rack if you're not serving them right away, or right onto a serving plate if you are.

You can re-heat them on the rack in a 200F oven for just 5-7 minutes.  

That's it!

ASB